Hanna’s Hustles: The Go-To Girl of Jenks
By: Ella Embry
From coach to teacher, photographer to entrepreneur, Hanna Giddens does it all. Whether you find yourself at a Jenks Basketball game, in need of epic photos or looking for a great history teacher, she’s your go to girl. “Coach Giddens” as most Jenks students refer to her as, is a powerhouse within the Jenks High School community.
Through her wide variety of hobbies and side hustles, Giddens is most recognizable from her photography and videography skills. From seniors to sports, she covers all aspects of life within Jenks. Giddens has become quite the celebrity and receives personal invitations to sporting and community events for her to document.
Giddens photography at a Jenks track meet. Photo Credits: Hanna Giddens
“Her photography and videography is really cool and special. It is something she has been working on for a long time and something she is really good at,” said Teylor Smith, Senior on Lady Trojans Basketball. “I always love when Giddens brings her camera to basketball games and other events.”
Gidden's photography at a Friday night football game. Photo Credits: Hanna Giddens
“I am basically self taught! I’ve spent a lot of time teaching myself about angles, about timing and how to get in the best positions to get the best shots. I’ve also spent countless hours learning how to edit pictures in a way that was unique to me,” said Giddens. “I’ve always told myself I want people to look at my pictures and know who took it without seeing my name on it!”
If you can’t find her on the sidelines with a camera in hand, following a game winning dunk, you can find her drawing up plays for her own team. Giddens not only captures moments for the varsity athletic teams but her own as well.
“Coach Giddens was my freshman Basketball coach and what she taught me will stick with me for life. She takes the time to create relationships with us both as players and as friends,” said Addi Dodder, Senior on Lady Trojans Basketball. “In every way she is herself and is always someone to talk to. Each year she has been a coach, you truly see how great she is and how she continues to get better each year.”
Hanna Giddens with her Freshman Basketball team. Photo Credits: JenksTrojansBasketball.com
“I played basketball and soccer the longest from 4-18 years old. But during my sophomore year of high school I had a pretty awful knee injury that took me out of all sports for about a year,” said Giddens. “During that year, I had 2 knee surgeries and was told I might not be able to play any sports again. But in 9 months, I proved a lot of people wrong and walked out on a soccer field and played again. After that, I finished my high school career playing every sport I wanted. But I knew playing in college was probably out of the picture for me, so I started to look into coaching more.”
Gidden takes the time to grow in all sectors of her life including being a coach where she finds comfortability in. Students have even adopted the nickname, “Coach Giddens,” even if they were never coached by her. It’s truly become a part of her personality and something that kids find easy to relate to.
If you didn’t think being a coach and photographer was enough for your plate, try adding being a teacher. That’s right, she’s not done yet! Giddens teaches history in the freshman academy. Giddens excels at creating a comfortable and fun environment that her classroom is constantly filled with students that aren’t even hers anymore. Her exciting and relatable personality is what draws students into relationships with her.
Overall, Gidden’s platforms and relationships built within the Jenks community have impacted students and families in more ways than one. Not many people can say that their high school teacher is also the person that captures their special memories AND coaches them through a basketball game. It takes quite the skill set to be Hanna Giddens and fortunately it’s right up her alley. If you would like to learn more about Giddens photography and videography, check her work out at @hanna_giddens_photos on Instagram.
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